Five 2014 NFL rookies who will take a big step in 2015
By Andrew Garda
Dominique Easley, DT, New England Patriots
When the New England Patriots selected defensive tackle Dominique Easley in the 2014 NFL Draft, they were looking for a guy who might be able to take over for Vincent Wilfork down the road. Instead, Easley struggled with what little time he had on the field while Wilfork had a solid season.
Things have changed now, as Wilfork is with the Houston Texans and while Easley sits back further on the depth chart than you expect to see a first round pick, he has every chance to leapfrog up the chart with a good set of OTAs and a solid training camp.
Easley was clearly still bothered by a torn ACL he had in September of his last year, so now that he will be two years removed, he should be at 100 percent of where he once was. Now that he is fully back, you can expect to see more of the explosive, athletic pass-rusher that he was at Florida.
Aside from Alan Branch only Jabaal Sheard might be a threat to hold Easley off, but even ‘starter’ Sealver Siliga shouldn’t be a threat as Siliga was injured in 2014 and has spent all of his career since 2011 bouncing from team to team.
Easley will have a ton of opportunity to prove himself and when he gets on the field, that and his ability will translate to a great sophomore season.
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